I've been a fan of Gunter Grass since reading him for a college class more than twenty five years ago. I'm not that far in yet, but it's easily the best translation of his writing I've found.
A fairly traditional (and mostly effective) SF novel of suspense, with some of the author's famously untraditional ideas mixed in.
A Walk in the Woods[/U] by Bill Bryson Very good, very entertaining book about hiking the Appalachian Trail
I like some of Bryson's work, but not all. A Walk in the Woods didn't hold my interest. Just finished The Noble Outlaw by Bernard Knight.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Five-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385333846/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233970062&sr=8-1?tag=citofgamonlco-20"]Amazon.com: Slaughterhouse-Five: Kurt Vonnegut: Books[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Memo-President-Americas-Reputation-Leadership/dp/0061351814/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234224251&sr=8-3"]Amazon.com: Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership: Madeleine Albright: Books[/ame]
In keeping with my books about music theme that I've been going with this year... [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Songs-Ted-Gioia/dp/0822337029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234272150&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Healing Songs: Ted Gioia: Books[/ame]
Just finished "Yankees: Where Have You Gone?" by Maury Allen. A series of vignette-like summaries of a number of lesser-lights on Yankees teams from the 50s through the 90s, based on interviews with the players.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Dubliners-Everymans-Library-Cloth-James/dp/0679405747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234367740&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Dubliners (Everyman's Library (Cloth)): James Joyce: Books[/ame]
Just reread Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, for a class I'm teaching. Now digging into Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Good-War-Oral-History-World/dp/1565843436/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234585815&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: The Good War: An Oral History of World War II: Studs Terkel: Books[/ame]
Gods Behaving Badly, by Marie Phillips Various critics on the back of the book label it as "witty", "joyful frolic", "very, very funny", etc. It was none of those, IMHO. Mildly entertaining, and a quick read.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Coyote-Says-More-Conversations-Gods/dp/1558963456/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234750187&sr=8-3"]Amazon.com: Coyote Says: More Conversations With God's Dog: Webster Kitchell: Books[/ame]
I just finished the first book in the the Mistborn trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson.. I think he's gonna do a great job finishing up the WoT series..